This invention concerns the processing of an insulated optical fibre.
Optical fibres are usually provided with an insulation, which can comprise several layers. The optical fibre must be stripped before a connecting member, e.g. a connector can be mounted on it. Even if two fibres are to be connected together permanently or temporarily, e.g. in order to conduct optical measurements, both fibres must be stripped at the ends that are to be brought into contact with each other.
In order to improve the optical connection with regard to quality and the lowest possible transmission loss, an interface may be created at the end of the stripped fibre, which is as even as possible. In the case of optical fibres, in particular glass fibres, even interfaces can be realised by means of a cleaving method in which the fibre is cleaved substantially perpendicular to its lengthwise direction. Cleaving tools are available to this end, e.g. from the company of York Technology in the United Kingdom, into which the fibre with its stripped end section is placed. The stripped fibre is clamped in two positions, which are a particular distance apart, and cleaved using a cutting element which is perpendicular to this, in particular with a diamond blade, perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the fibre.
The end section of the stripped and cleaved fibre can be inserted into an adapter or into any other connecting member, in order to realise an optical coupling, for example using a measurement and/or testing device. It is similarly possible to optically connect together two stripped and cleaved fibre ends. To this end, both fibre ends can, for example, be placed in a linear adjustment groove, in which both cleaved fibre ends abut each other face-on. In this position, both fibres can be clamped to the adjustment groove or to a support in the adjustment groove, in particular with a holding-down clamp. Special coupling fluids can be used in order to improve the optical coupling, e.g. in order to reduce the effects of optical refraction at the media boundaries.
An appartus for removing the insulation from an optical fibre is known from WO-A-98/33082. U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,996 shows an apparatus, which on the one hand enables the fibre to be stripped and on the other allows it to be cleaved. An apparatus is referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,682 that can be used to strip and cleave the end sections of two fibres and subsequently connect them in an adjustment groove.
EP-A-0 899 594 A2 discloses an apparatus for removing insulation and for fusion-splicing an optical fibre.
A manufacturing procedure for cutting and prior removal of the casing from cables and wires, and an apparatus for carrying out this procedure, is known from DE-T2-692 08 235.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,298 describes the stripping of a protective layer from a fibre bundle containing several optical fibres. DE-A-4227041 describes the removal of the protective layer of a fibre optic cable.